Packer plate guide for refuse collection vehicles

ABSTRACT

A refuse collection vehicle includes a packer plate mounted inside the vehicle storage bin. In one form of the invention, elongated guide shoes having galvanized surfaces are mounted on opposite sides of the packer plate, and the guide shoes slide on galvanized surfaces of corresponding guide channels affixed to opposite sides of the storage bin interior. Preferably, the guide channels are releasably attached to galvanized portions of the main side structural members of the storage bin so that the guide channels can be periodically removed from the bin for replacement.

United States Patent [191 Telesio [451 Aug. 12, 1975 1 PACKER PLATE GUIDE FOR REFUSE COLLECTION VEHICLES [76] Inventor: George 0. Telesio, 7709 S. Milna Ave., Whittier, Calif. 90601 22 Filed: Oct. 29, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 410,766

[52] U.S. Cl 214/82; 100/229 A [51] Int. Cl B30b 15/06 [58] Field of Search 214/82; 100/229 A; 308/3 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,911,119 11/1959 Kuhnau 214/82 2,996,203 8/1961 214/82 3,229,618 1/1966 OConnor 214/82 X 3,687,064 8/1972 Glanz 100/100 Primary ExaminerAllen N. Knowles Assistant Examiner-Francis .1. Bartuska Attorney, Agent, or F irmChristie, Parker & Hale 5 7 ABSTRACT A refuse collection vehicle includes a packer plate mounted inside the vehicle storage bin. In one form of the invention, elongated guide shoes having galvanized surfaces are mounted on opposite sides of the packer plate, and the guide shoes slide on galvanized surfaces of corresponding guide channels affixed to opposite sides of the storage bin interior. Preferably, the guide channels are releasably attached to galvanized portions of the main side structural members of the storage bin so that the guide channels can be periodically removed from the bin for replacement.

10 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PACKER PLATE GUIDE FOR REFUSE COLLECTION VEHICLES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to refuse collection vehicles, and more particularly to improved means for mounting a movable packer plate on fixed guide surfaces inside the storage bin of a refuse collection vehicle.

Many refuse collection vehicles in use today have an upright metal packer plate slidably mounted on fixed guide surfaces in the vehicle storage bin. Such packer plates are connected to a drive mechanism which includes one or more hydraulic rams for pushing the packer plate, usually toward the rear of the storage bin, to compress the refuse collected in the storage bin. Refuse collection vehicles using such packer plates commonly, but not exclusively, are of the top-load variety in which the refuse is picked up by a hopper located at the front of the vehicle and then dumped through an opening in the upper front portion of the storage bin. In contrast, refuse collection vehicles which are loaded from the rear of the storage bin generally include pivotally mounted or hinged packer plates mounted in the rear of the storage bin and adapted to sweep through an arc when compressing refuse collected in them. The latter type of vehicle is not the subject of the present invention; this invention is addressed to improvements in those refuse collection vehicles in which movement of the packer plate is essentially translatory motion.

Packer plates mounted to slide on fixed guide surfaces generally are mounted in either a side-drive or center-drive configuration. In the side-drive mount, a pair of elongated metal channel members, usually of ship-channel (generally C-shaped) configuration, extend along opposite longitudinal edges of the storage bin floor. The ship-channels are hot-rolled steel shapes and are integral parts of the storage bin frame structure. A pair of elongated shoe members are mounted along the outer edges of the packer plate and are slidably engaged with the ship-channels.

In the center-drive mount, the packer plate is mounted on an elongated guide channel, usually of I- beam configuration, extending along the longitudinal centerline of the bin. Guide shoes carried by the packer plate are engaged with opposite sides of the center I- beam to provide guided movement for the packer plate back and forth along the beam.

The shoe guide surfaces for packer plates mounted in either the side-drive or center-drive configuration generally are arranged in either a full-pack configuration in which the guide channels extend the full length of the storage bin, or a half-pack configuration in which the guide channels extend from one end of the storage bin to about the midpoint of the bin. Refuse vehicles having packer plates of the side-drive or centerdrive variety, mounted in either the full-pack or halfpack configuration, are the subject of the present invention.

All known top-loaded refuse collection vehicles of either the side-drive or center-drive variety, and either the full-pack or half-pack configuration, have packer plate guide shoes and shoe guide surfaces made of cast iron and mounted in direct sliding engagement, which engagement results in constant metal-to-metal contact between the guide shoes and the fixed guides. During use of the refuse collection vehicle, the relatively sliding surfaces become excessively corroded and pitted because they are constantly exposed to abrasive and corrosive media of many different and often unpredictable types, including dirt, sand, liquids of varying degrees of acidity, broken glass, and the like. Moreover, during each loading of the storage bin the packer plate is pushed back and forth on the metal guide surfaces several times while the guide surfaces are in direct contact with the abrasive and corrosive media contained in the storage bin. Thus, the metal guide surfaces become corroded readily, and cannot be cleaned often enough to prevent substantial corrosion. As a result, owners of refuse collection vehicles generally have resigned themselves to the practice of only infrequently cleaning the sliding surfaces, and replacing the packer plate guide shoes and the storage bin guide channels say about every 2 years. However, removal and replacement of the ship-channel guide surfaces has proved to be particularly time consuming and costly to the owners of refuse collection vehicles. Since the shipchannels are an integral part of the storage bin frame structure, they must be removed from the storage bin, usually by hand. This is not only a tedious, time consuming, and expensive process, but it also can disturb the structural integrity of the storage bin.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention provides a refuse collection vehicle in which the corrosion resistance of the packer plate guide surfaces is increased substantially when compared with the existing guide surfaces described above. Moreover, the invention comprises a structurally simple and economical means for replacing the stationary packer plate guide surfaces, which eliminates the prior art practice of chipping out the guide channels by hand and possibly disturbing the structural integrity of the storage bin frame structure.

Briefly, one embodiment of the invention includes means for mounting the packer plate for sliding movement on one or more galvanized metal guide members affixed to the storage bin interior. The packer plate also includes one or more galvanized metal guide shoes, each shoe being engaged with a corresponding one of the galvanized guide members so that the packer plate slides back and forth in the storage bin on galvanized guide surfaces. The galvanized guide surfaces provide a substantial improvement in resistance to corrosion and abrasion caused by constant exposure to refuse collected in the storage bin. As a consequence, periodic cleaning of the guide surfaces can provide good protection against pitting and corrosion, resulting in a substantial improvement in the useful life of the guide surfaces when compared with the prior art systems for mounting packer plates. In addition, the cooperating, relatively sliding galvanized guide surfaces are essentially self-lubricating during use.

In another embodiment of the invention, the fixed guide member is releasably secured to the storage bin frame to be removable therefrom without disturbing the structural integrity of the frame. Preferably, one end of the guide member is wedged or otherwise held in a fixed position against abutment means which are part of the structural frame of the storage bin. The opposite end of the guide member is releasably mounted in a fixed position by removable support means, such as tack welding of the guide member to the storage bin frame. Thus, the guide member can be removed from the storage bin for replacement simply by chipping the tack weld and then sliding the member out of the storage bin, which operation can be accomplished without disturbing the structural integrity of the storage bin frame structure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS These and other aspects of the invention will be more fully understood by referring to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view, partly broken away, showing a refuse collection vehicle having a packer plate mounted on guide surfaces according to this invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary cross-section view taken on line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross-section view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2 and showing cooperating galvanized guide surfaces for the packer plate shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional plan view of the stationary guide surface mounting arrangement shown within the circle 4 of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows a refuse collection vehicle having a chassis 12 supported on rear wheels 14 and steerable front wheels 16. A refuse storage bin 18 is mounted on the vehicle chassis. An upright fabricated metal packer plate 20 is slidably mounted for longitudinal movement back and forth within and along the length of the storage bin. The packer plate normally is located in a front portion of a refuse collection space 22 of the bin and extends substantially from side to side of the bin. A refuse hopper 24, located at the front end of the vehicle, is pivotally mounted between a pair of refuse hopper lift arms 26 arranged to hinge at 27 between vertical (solid lines in FIG. 1) and horizontal (broken lines in FIG. 1) positions on opposite sides of the cab 29 of the vehicle. Hopper 24 is lifted upwardly by the lift arms to a position above the upper front portion of the storage bin to dump the refuse in the hopper through a bin loading opening 28 so the refuse can be collected in storage bin collection space 22.

The present invention is described in the context of a packer plate mounted in a side-drive, full-pack configuration for illustrative purposes only, since other equivalent configurations also can be used without departing from the scope of the invention.

As shown best in FIG. 2, packer plate 20 is mounted in a side-drive arrangement which includes a pair of laterally spaced apart double-acting hydraulic rams 30 secured to pivot pins 32 mounted in corresponding recessed portions 34 at the front portion of vehicle storage bin 18. A pair of extendable and contractable piston arms 35 at the opposite ends of the hydraulic rams are connected to the lower front portions of the packer plate by respective pivot pins 36.

In use, hydraulic rams 30 are actuated to push packer plate 20 toward the rear of the storage bin interior so as to compress any refuse collected in storage area 22. The rams are then contracted to pull the packer plate back to its normal position (shown in FIG. 1) after the refuse is compressed. Generally, the packer plate is used to compress the refuse several times during a single load collection.

Packer plate 20 is mounted to slide on fixed guide surfaces which are shown best in FIGS. 3 and 4. The packer plate guide means includes a separate elongated guide channel or guide sleeve 38 extending lengthwise along each edge of the storage bin interior. Each guide sleeve is U-shaped in transverse cross-section and mounted so the U faces toward the packer plate. The guide sleeves rest on a floor 40 supported by main frame members 42 of the vehicle chassis. The outer edge of each guide sleeve 38 is rigidly secured to a corresponding side wall structural member 44 of the storage bin so that the guide sleeves form integral parts of the storage bin frame structure in a manner akin to the ship channels used in the prior art refuse vehicles described above.

In an exemplary vehicle according to this invention, each guide sleeve 38 is a channel fabricated by suitable bending of a piece of galvanized lO-gauge sheet metal. Although the entire outer surface area of each guide sleeve can be galvanized, at least the inner U-shaped surface portion of the guide sleeves should have a galvanized surface layer 46 for the purpose of this invention.

A separate elongated stationary guide member 48 of substantially U-shaped cross-sectional configuration is releasably yet fixedly disposed in each guide sleeve 38. Preferably, each guide member 48 is a one-fourth inch galvanized steel channel member having an outer galvanized surface layer 50 and an inner galvanized surface layer 52. Each guide member 48 may be formed by suitably bending a piece of galvanized sheet steel on a plate break, for example.

FIG. 4 shows the preferred means for mounting guide members 48 in guide sleeves 38. Guide sleeves 38 have corresponding beveled front end portions 54 which abut against respective beveled ends 56 of a pair of channel-shaped wedge members 58 located at opposite front corner portions of the storage bin, each wedge member being structurally integral with the storage bin frame structure. The common plane of each cooperating pair of ends is preferably perpendicular to bin floor 40 and is inclined forwardly and outwardly to a vertical longitudinal centerplane of the bin. Each guide member 48 is slidably fitted into the receptacle provided by its corresponding guide sleeve 38 so that edges 54 abut tightly against edges 56 of wedge members 58. The cooperating beveled edges of wedge members 58 and guide sleeves 38 maintain the front end portions of the guide members in a fixed position relative to the storage bin frame structure. Preferably, each guide member is held in its fixed position by a single upper tack weld 60 between the top flange of guide sleeve 38 and member 48, and also by a single bottom tack weld 62 between the bottom flange of guide sleeve 38 and the cooperating bottom flange of member 48, both tack welds preferably being made to the guide member adjacent its end opposite from bevel end 54. To simplify both making and breaking the tack welds, the upper flanges of guide sleeves 38 terminates between the web of guide member 48 and the edge of the upper flange of the guide member; also, as shown in FIG. 3, the lower flange of the guide sleeve is wider than the lower flange of the guide member 48 as mated to the sleeve, so that the lower flange of guide member 48 terminates between the web of sleeve 38 and the end of the lower flange of the sleeve. Thus, the guide members can be removed, if need be, simply by chipping out the two readily accessible tack welds and sliding the guide members longitudinally from their corresponding guide sleeves 38, preferably through the doors which close the rear end of bin 18 but which are opened for ejection of refuse from the bin. Moreover, since each guide member 48 is separate from the frame structure of the storage bin, the structural integrity of the storage bin is not disturbed by removal of the guide members.

The lower side portions of the packer plate carry respective elongated guide shoes or slippers 64 configured to be slidably engaged in corresponding guide channels 48. Typically, the guide shoes comprise onefourth inch fabricated steel structures each having a galvanized outer surface layer 66 in slidable contact with the matching galvanized inner surface 52 of a corresponding fixed guide member 48. Each guide shoe 64 is rigidly secured to a side structural member 68 of the packer plate by top and bottom welds 70 and 72, respectively, extending along the length of the guide shoe.

in use, the stationary guide members and their cooperating sliding shoe members have good corrosion resistance because of the galvanized interface between their sliding surfaces. Thus, even though the galvanized surfaces of the guide members and the shoes are constantly being exposed to corrosive and abrasive media, periodic cleaning of the surfaces is all that will be necessary to maintain the sliding surfaces in a relatively corrosion-free condition. Moreover, the guide members and the shoes are relatively easily removable from the storage bin for repair or reconditioning of their sliding surfaces. A further advantage is that the cooperating galvanized surfaces are self-lubricating, so that there is less friction developed between the sliding surfaces than with the prior art packer plates.

I claim:

1. A refuse collection vehicle including a storage bin, a packer plate in the interior of the storage bin, and means for slidably mounting the packer plate for essentially translatory movement lengthwise of the storage bin, the mounting means including at least one elongated fixed guide member located in the bin to be exposed to contact with contents of the bin, a guide member support disposed in the storage bin as an element of the structure thereof for positioning the guide member along the length of the bin, the fixed guide member being disposed principally between the interior of the bin and the support and being releasably secured to the guide member support to be removable therefrom without disturbing the structural integrity of the bin, shoe means affixed to the packer plate and slidably engaged with the guide member to guide movement of the packer plate along the guide member, a first galvanized interface between the guide member support and the fixed guide member, and a second galvanized interface between the shoe means and the fixed guide member.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the guide member is made of metal and is secured to the bin structure by tack welding.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which there are two guide members, in which the guide member support includes a pair of opposed guide sleeves disposed in the storage bin as elements of the structure thereof for receiving and positioning corresponding ones of the guide members along opposite sides of the storage bin, and including separate shoe means on each side of the packer plate for cooperation with corresponding ones of the guide members, and means for releasably connecting each guide member to its corresponding guide sleeve.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3 in which each guide sleeve is a channel-shaped member, each guide member is of channel-shaped configuration to mate within the channel formed by the corresponding guide sleeve so that the structural portions of each guide member channel are in abutting relation with matching structural portions of the channel formed by the adjacent guide sleeves.

5. Apparatus according to claim 3 in which the guide members and the guide sleeves are made of metal, and in which each guide member is releasably secured to its corresponding guide sleeve by tack welding.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the shoe means is made of metal and is secured to the packer plate structure by tack welding so as to be removable from the packer plate.

7. Apparatus according to claim 3 in which the separate shoe means are made of metal and are secured to each side of the packer plate by respective tack welding for being releasable from the packer plate.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the first galvanized interface comprises a galvanized surface extending along the length of the guide member support and a cooperating galvanized surface extending along the length of the fixed guide member, and in which the second galvanized interface comprises a galvanized surface extending along the length of the shoe means and a cooperating galvanized surface extending along the length of the fixed guide member.

9. Apparatus according to claim 3 in which the first galvanized interface comprises a galvanized surface extending along the length of the guide member support and a cooperating galvanized surface extending along the length of the fixed guide member, and in which the second galvanized interface comprises a galvanized surface extending along the length of the shoe means and a cooperating galvanized surface extending along the length of the fixed guide member.

10. In a refuse collection vehicle having a storage bin and a packer plate mounted in the interior of the storage bin for essentially translatory movement therealong, improved means for mounting the packer plate in the storage bin comprising at least one elongated fixed guide member located in the bin to be exposed to contact with contents of the bin, a guide member support disposed in the storage bin as an element of the structure thereof for positioning the guide member along the length of the bin and for defining the path of movement of the packer plate in the bin, the fixed guide member being positioned principally between the support and the interior of the bin so as to shield the support from substantial contact with contents of the bin, the fixed guide member being releasably secured to the guide member support to be removable therefrom without disturbing the structural integrity of the bin, shoe means affixed to the packer plate and slidably engaged with the guide member such that the shoe means and the guide member define cooperating sliding surfaces, a first galvanized interface between the fixed guide member and the guide member support, and a second galvanized interface between the cooperating sliding surfaces of the shoe means and the fixed guide member. 

1. A refuse collection vehicle including a storage bin, a packer plate in the interior of the storage bin, and means for slidably mounting the packer plate for essentially translatory movement lengthwise of the storage bin, the mounting means including at least one elongated fixed guide member located in the bin to be exposed to contact with contents of the bin, a guide member support disposed in the storage bin as an element of the structure thereof for positioning the guide member along the length of the bin, the fixed guide member being disposed principally between the interior of the bin and the support and being releasably secured to the guide member support to be removable therefrom without disturbing the structural integrity of the bin, shoe means affixed to the packer plate and slidably engaged with the guide member to guide movement of the packer plate along the guide member, a first galvanized interface between the guide member support and the fixed guide member, and a second galvanized interface between the shoe means and the fixed guide member.
 2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the guide member is made of metal and is secured to the bin structure by tack welding.
 3. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which there are two guide members, in which the guide member support includes a pair of opposed guide sleeves disposed in the storage bin as elements of the structure thereof for receiving and positioning corresponding ones of the guide members along opposite sides of the storage bin, and including separate shoe means on each side of the packer plate for cooperation with corresponding ones of the guide members, and means for releasably connecting each guide member to its corresponding guide sleeve.
 4. Apparatus according to claim 3 in which each guide sleeve is a channel-shaped member, each guide member is of channel-shaped configuration to mate within the channel formed by the corresponding guide sleeve so that the structural portions of each guide member channel are in abutting relation with matching structural portions of the channel formed by the adjacent guide sleeves.
 5. Apparatus according to claim 3 in which the guide members and the guide sleeves are made of metal, and in which each guide member is releasably secured to its corresponding guide sleeve by tack welding.
 6. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the shoe means is made of metal and is secured to the packer plate structure by tack welding so as to be removable from the packer plate.
 7. Apparatus according to claim 3 in which the separate shoe means are made of metal and are secured to each side of the packer plate by respective tack welding for being releasable from the packer plate.
 8. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the first galvanized interface comprises a galvanized surface extending along the length of the guide member support and a cooperating galvanized surface extending along the length of the fixed guide member, and in which the second galvanized interface comprises a galvanized surface extending along the length of the shoe means and a cooperating galvanized surface extending along the length of the fixed guide member.
 9. Apparatus according to claim 3 in which the first galvanized interface comprises a galvanized surface extending along the length of the guide member support and a cooperating galvanized surface extending along the length of the fixed guide member, and in which the second galvanized interface comprises a galvanized surface extendIng along the length of the shoe means and a cooperating galvanized surface extending along the length of the fixed guide member.
 10. In a refuse collection vehicle having a storage bin and a packer plate mounted in the interior of the storage bin for essentially translatory movement therealong, improved means for mounting the packer plate in the storage bin comprising at least one elongated fixed guide member located in the bin to be exposed to contact with contents of the bin, a guide member support disposed in the storage bin as an element of the structure thereof for positioning the guide member along the length of the bin and for defining the path of movement of the packer plate in the bin, the fixed guide member being positioned principally between the support and the interior of the bin so as to shield the support from substantial contact with contents of the bin, the fixed guide member being releasably secured to the guide member support to be removable therefrom without disturbing the structural integrity of the bin, shoe means affixed to the packer plate and slidably engaged with the guide member such that the shoe means and the guide member define cooperating sliding surfaces, a first galvanized interface between the fixed guide member and the guide member support, and a second galvanized interface between the cooperating sliding surfaces of the shoe means and the fixed guide member. 